FROM SKETCH TO PROTOTYPE

We build production-ready hardware models for your product ideas or ready to use products for specific purposes.

Our Values

SPARKIGNITEPROTOTYPE

We solder fresh ideas into great prototypes by fusing robotics, artificial intelligence and digital technology. You need short product cycles and we have the extensive hardware and software experience to swiftly build a fully working prototype that’s ready for the assembly line.

READYSETBUILD

We help companies design and build alpha prototypes or a fully functional MVPs. Our extensive knowledge of different operating systems and protocols gained in the open source hardware community enables us to offer a full range of prototyping, product development, consultating, design and engineering services.

WE ARE ENGINEERS FIRST ENTREPRENEURS SECOND

Sure, we design and build but at heart we are risk takers and go getters that organize ventures when opportunities arise. We easily become an extension to your team that is always ready to turn ideas into hard, real, tangible products.
We grew up with the open source community and developed our skills by creating gadgets and teaching others to do it as well. We know all the ins and outs of all processes and can support and advise on each decision along the way to the big market.

Our Process

CONCEPT

At this stage we look at things from every possible angle from the solution the product provides to how users interact with it. Every detail is important as it helps us find and define the critical features that will help sell the product in the end. Each answer leads us closer to the ultimate specifications such as: weight, size, materials, colors, buttons, screens, environmental conditions etc. In the end with enough caffeine and brainstorming we usually come up with an exciting new idea that we can’t wait to build and test.

Our Process

RESEARCH

At this stage we look at things from every possible angle from the solution the product provides to how users interact with it. Every detail is important as it helps us find and define the critical features that will help sell the product in the end. Each answer leads us closer to the ultimate specifications such as: weight, size, materials, colors, buttons, screens, environmental conditions etc. In the end with enough caffeine and brainstorming we usually come up with an exciting new idea that we can’t wait to build and test.

Our Process

DESIGN

At this stage we look at things from every possible angle from the solution the product provides to how users interact with it. Every detail is important as it helps us find and define the critical features that will help sell the product in the end. Each answer leads us closer to the ultimate specifications such as: weight, size, materials, colors, buttons, screens, environmental conditions etc. In the end with enough caffeine and brainstorming we usually come up with an exciting new idea that we can’t wait to build and test.

Our Process

PROTOTYPE

At this stage we look at things from every possible angle from the solution the product provides to how users interact with it. Every detail is important as it helps us find and define the critical features that will help sell the product in the end. Each answer leads us closer to the ultimate specifications such as: weight, size, materials, colors, buttons, screens, environmental conditions etc. In the end with enough caffeine and brainstorming we usually come up with an exciting new idea that we can’t wait to build and test.

Our Skills

Arduino & other microcontroller development boards

We have extensive experience with the Arduino ecosystem. The very first development board that we've used was an Arduino Duemilanove. We have used all of the official boards as well as the respective clones for different projects from robotics to wearables or Iot projects. However, we prefer official boards and a few other trusted clones like Teensy, the Feather or Flora series from Adafruit because of their good support and reliability.

We usually use Arduino for quick results and idea testing. After we have the proof of concept we move to a custom PCB design or other more robust solutions depending on project requirements.

We have created libraries and worked extensively with the C++ IDE of Arduino. Similarly, we do all the development on Linux since it enables IoT integration and a lot of open source projects for development.

Raspberry Pi & other embeddable Linux development boards

We have used RaspberryPi since it's launch for various projects demanding a bit more processing power than an Arduino or features like image processing and local storage where Arduino was not even an option.

We found it very useful in setting up gateways to drive data from smaller prototypes and send it in to a web based time-series database in IoT projects. We also did a few multimedia projects like media servers, Internet radios, music players, Kiosk setups with using Raspberry Pi. Similarly, we have used clones that offered some more specific features but when possible we tend to avoid them because they lack in support.

Since we do all the development work on Linux, it's easy for us to deploy and work on RaspberryPis. We program mostly in Pyhton since it has so many features already developed in libraries but for specific tasks we have used C++ or just bash to get stuff done.

IoT development boards

We have prior experience with most development boards related to IoT projects. Specifically, we built prototypes in various areas, such as medical, home automation, wearables, automotive or utilities that required Internet connected devices.

We developed end to end solutions, like getting data from devices and pushing it through ble, wifi, gprs or lora towards gateways using Rest apis or real time protocols like MQTT and storing it in the cloud in time-series databases that could be accessed/displayed in either Grafana or custom apps.

We like to work with the ESP modules, M5Stack or SIM808 modules and usually end up programming in C++ for low level stuff and Python for server side apps.

PCB design

Some examples of PCBs designed so far, from old school hand printed ones to machine printed ones. However, most of the work undergone in this area remained undocumented, since the PCBs are already part of clients projects.

Similarly, depending on the project, we have worked with both through-hole and surface-mount assembly technology requirements.

EaglePCB is our PCB design software of choice and we have been working with OSH Park and Eurocircuits extensively when it comes to PCB production services, respecting their requirements and best practices.

3D Modeling & Printing

In prototyping being able to make your own enclosures for custom projects is a must. Therefore we like to tinker in CAD and design and print practical stuff that comes in handy when making a product from scratch (such as cases, cable or tool management systems).

And, of course, when you have your own 3D printer you don't say no to designs that are useful in every day life, such us wallets or shoe lace locks.

We usually do the modeling in Tinkercad or Blender and for printing we use Simplify 3D.

Meet the Team

We are a tight knit team of hardware engineers and software developers that wants to bring about change through innovative product development. As product cycles are pushed to become shorter and shorter, rapid hardware prototyping is quickly becoming an essential part of today’s businesses.

Our goal is to provide entrepreneurs or well established companies with the support, knowledge and experience of creating a production-ready prototype from a napkin sketch.

Our expertise in the open source community and IOT industry combined with in-house manufacturing and lean methodology allows us to offer a fast and flexible service that will help innovators create and grow a happy product.